This Charming Life
by LazySmurf247
Summary: AU: Ava was driven away from home when she was 21, and now, seven or so years later, she's back to visit her dad in the hospital, and not everyone is thrilled that she's returned. Will she be driven away a second time? Or will she stay where she belongs?
1. Chapter One

A/N: Hello there! Yes, this is another story for youse guys, but this one will be way different from what I usually write. Wow! Season 4, so far, is the best one. OMG! So much has been going on. If you haven't watched it, I won't spoil anything, and if you haven't watched any of it, then you better start. It's soooo good! Well, enough of my rambling. Enjoy this and don't forget to R&R!

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy…just my OC's. Thanks!

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><p>…Chapter One…<p>

_"I can't believe this is happening."_ Ava Cooper thought to herself, as she was sitting on the bed at a Motel 6, some where in Sedona, Arizona, playing on her laptop, waiting for her best friend Tiny - who's real name is Natasha Miller and her six year old daughter Lily, to get back with some Chinese food for lunch.

Ava was born and raised in Charming, California up until after she turned twenty - one, then she moved to Phoenix. The reason why she's at a motel in Sedona, she had to get away from her ex boyfriend Mason, since the restraining order wasn't working, because he'd ignore it all the time, and the local cops weren't helping either, so she had to get herself, Tiny, and Lily away from him, to keep all of them safe.

...

_Knock - Knock - Knock._

Is what Ava heard and slowly looked over, wondering who it could be, because if it was Tiny, she'd just use the card key, and walk right in. As she got up from the bed, the knocking continued. "Alright, shit." she mumbled, then looked through the peep hole. "No fucking way." she groaned, opening the door. "Wow, wonders ever cease? What are you doing here, Gloria? More importantly, how the hell did you find me?"

"I'm still your mother, regardless how far away you live from home."

"Answer my question, _Mother. _How did you find me?" Gloria walked inside and sat down on the bed, as Ava groaned, shutting the door. "Yeah, sure, come right in. Take your shoes off and stay awhile."

Gloria frowned. "You don't have to be a smart ass."

"Yeah, I do." Ava smirked.

"As I was saying… since you used your credit card at this." she looked around, making a face. "Place… Unser found you for me."

"Of course, he did. That's just… awesome." Ava crossed her arms over her chest. "Why?"

Gloria sighed. "I came here to tell you about your father."

"What about him?" she shrugged.

"Elias had a severe stroke yesterday morning and he's in the ICU, in a coma, at St. Thomas. They don't know if or when he's going to wake up."

"And you came all the way from Charming to Sedona to tell me this? Is there any reason why you couldn't have called me on the phone?"

"Would you have answered it?"

"Probably not." she shrugged again.

"Well, Ava, this was the only way I could get your attention, and have you listen to me."

"Okay, so if you're here bugging the shit out if me, who's with him?"

Gloria frowned. "Gemma, Tara, and Lyla's been taking turns, watching over him."

"Oh, so Tara's back from Chicago?"

Gloria nodded. "She has been for a while."

"She still with Jax?"

"Yeah, they're together, and they have two sons, Abel and Thomas."

"Well, I knew about Abel." Ava paused for a moment. "Jax sent me a text, telling me that Wendy had him premature, because of the crank, but good." she slightly nodded. "Good for him. Now, who the hell is Lyla?"

"Opie's fiancee'."

Ava looked confused. "What the hell happened to Donna?"

"You don't know?"

"Uh, obviously not. Ever since I left Charming, I haven't been in touch with anyone and the only time I was… was when Abel was born. I know nothing."

"Well." Gloria took a deep breath. "The night of Abel's homecoming, because he was in the incubator for three months, Donna was shot up at a red light."

Ava's eyes widened. "Holy shit."

"Yeah, Honey, you missed a hell of a lot."

"Well, how's the rest of the guys?"

Gloria took a deep breath. "Jax, Happy, Bobby, Clay, Juice, and Tig got a weapons charge against them and they're in Stockton Prison for a fourteen month sentence."

"When do they get out?"

"In a few days."

"Oh." Ava nodded.

"Ava, I really think you should go see your father, because if you don't, and he dies, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Ava stared at Gloria for a few seconds, then heavily sighed. "I'll think about it."

"What's there to think about?" Gloria stood up. "He's your father for Christ's sakes."

"Wrong, he's not my real father." Ava crossed her arms over her chest. "Just like you are not my real mother."

"How many times are going to throw that in my face? Elias and I took you in when your own damn parents couldn't. All they cared about was their forty dollar fix than their own flesh and blood. Without us adopting and taking care of you… you would have ended up dead, just like Becky or in prison, like Charlie. Ava, I loved my sister, and I love you, but I wasn't going to sit back and let her destroy your life, like she did to hers. Elias and I took you in to save you."

"Okay, okay, I've heard all of this before, but the reason why I was hurt, both of you lied to me, for years, and all I wanted was the truth, but evidently, you couldn't even give me that. I had to hear about the truth from Darby. Why? Because he was their dealer, back in the day, and he felt that I needed to know the true story."

Gloria heavily sighed, sitting back down. "We were going to tell you."

"When?"

"Ava, I didn't come here to fight with you. I want you to come back to Charming."

"Uh, No. Why the hell would I want to go back to the place that I was driven away from?"

Gloria looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Ugh." Ava pinched the bridge of her nose. "Never mind, just forget it." suddenly, the door opened, followed by Tiny and Lily walking in with the bags of food containers. "Shit." she groaned, then glanced at Gloria, who had her eyes glued at Lily, standing in front of her. "Can we finish this conversation some other time?" she looked down at her imaginary watch on her wrist. "Next year sounds good to me."

"Ava." Gloria sighed, shaking her head.

"Who's she, Mommy?"

"Mommy?" Gloria's eyes widened. "She called you Mommy?"

"Hey." Ava ignored the question and bent down to Lily's level. "How 'bout you and Aunt Tiny go eat at the park, while I talk to this lady." Lily nodded, then Ava stood up, looking at Tiny. "Can you take her?"

"Yeah, sure." she put on of the food containers on the little table and grabbed Lily's hand. "Come on, Girly."

"Thanks." Ava waved, then both of them walked out the door. "Okay." she glanced at Gloria, seeing the hurt look on her face. "What?"

"You had a daughter."

"Yeah." Ava nodded. "I did."

Gloria crossed her arms over her chest. "And she doesn't even know who I am?"

"No, but don't feel bad, she don't know about her other grandma either."

"That's not even funny."

"Oh, well." Ava shrugged.

"What's her name and how old is she?"

"It's Lily and she's six."

"Six?" Gloria gasped.

Ava held up her hand. "And before you ask, yes, I was pregnant with her, about ten weeks or so, before I left Charming."

"Does _he_ know?"

Ava glanced at her for a second. "No, _he_ doesn't and I'd appreciate it, if you didn't say anything to anyone until I'm good and ready, especially to_ him_."

"Ava, how could I tell him anyway? He's locked up." Gloria paused. "But only for another two days." there was another pause. "If you go visit your father, then I won't spill the beans."

"Wow, are you really trying to blackmail me? I don't think you are in _any_ position to blackmail me, because I could make sure you never see my daughter again."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you better be sorry. I don't respond well to any kind of threats, especially when my daughter is involved."

"Okay, okay." Gloria put her hands up in defeat. "I'm very sorry that I brought it up."

"Good." she nodded.

"So, how come my granddaughter has a bruise on her cheek and a cast on her wrist?"

Ava sat down on a chair and leaned it back a little. "I got a call from the school yesterday to pick up Lily, because her and a boy in her class named Austin - were fighting. This kid has been messing with Lily since school started, so I told her that if he keeps on, then she has my permission to hit him back. Apparently, Austin hit her first, and when I picked her up, I saw that little brat had a nice black eye from Lily."

"Good for her, for sticking up for herself. What did you do?"

"Well, as much as I wanted to whoop Austin's little ass, I couldn't of course, but I did pull her out of that school, and after all that mess, we packed our shit and came up here to Sedona."

"Ava, she needs to go to school, she needs to get her education."

"Don't you think I know that? With everything going on, I had to get her out of that school anyway."

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's like this." Ava heavily sighed. "I have a restraining order on my ex boyfriend Mason. He's been ignoring it and the cops wouldn't do anything, so I took it upon myself to bring us here. He's after all three of us."

"Has Mason ever hurt Lily?"

Ava nodded. "The cast she's wearing, he broke her wrist."

"And the cops did nothing?"

"No, Mason lied saying that Lily fell down the stairs, which she didn't, and the real story is… he was drunk and he told her to go to bed, but she didn't because it was only seven - thirty, so Mason grabbed her hand, and yanked it as hard as he could, breaking her little wrist."

"What a bastard."

"Yeah, no kidding." Ava scoffed. "And when I confronted the asshole about it, that night, he slapped me a few times for not believing his lies. He got mad that I believed Lily over him, and that's when I told the cops what was going on. They did nothing, so I resorted to the restraining order. That obviously meant nothing to him, because he just kept breaking it, and now, here we are, hiding out in Sedona."

"Ava, you wouldn't have to be hiding out if you come back home." Gloria paused. "Will you, please, go visit your father?"

Ava took a deep breath and slightly nodded. "Fine, I'll go."

"Thank you." Gloria smiled.

"Yeah, yeah." Ava waved her hand, then a minute later, Tiny and Lily walked through the door, and Ava took another deep breath. "Glad you two are back, because I want to introduce you to my mother Gloria… Mom, this is my daughter Lily, and my best friend Tiny."

"Nice to meet you." Tiny held out her hand.

"Oh." Gloria shook it and let go. "Likewise."

"Mommy." Lily tapped Ava's arm. "She's your mommy?"

Ava nodded. "Sure."

"Yes." Gloria glared at Ava, then looked over at Lily. "Which means, I'm your grandma."

"Really?"

"Yep." Gloria nodded.

"Hey." Ava got Lily and Tiny's attention. "How 'bout we take a trip to California?"

"Sure." Tiny nodded. "When?"

"As soon as I check us out."

"Well." Tiny started cleaning up. "Let's go then."

"What about you, Lily? You want to go?"

"Yeah, Mommy." she nodded.

"Okay, let's get outta here." Ava smiled, then her and Tiny started packing everything up.

About fifteen minutes later, Ava and Tiny piled whatever they had into Ava's navy blue 2011 Chevy Tahoe. "Okay." Tiny shut the passenger side door. "Why are we going to Cali? Not that I mind or anything."

Ava sighed. "My dad had a stroke and he's in the ICU. I'm just going to visit, before it's too late."

"Oh, Ava, I'm sorry."

"It's okay… on the plus side, we'll be further away from Mason."

"Well, good."

"I'm gonna go check us out. Can you get Lily and Gloria in the SUV, so we can go?"

"Yeah." Tiny nodded.

"And make sure Lily grabs her blanket and her two stuffed animals."

"I will." Tiny chuckled. "I remember what went down the last time she forgot them." then as Tiny went back into the room, Ava went over to the front office to check them out.

Ten minutes later, Ava walked out, and got into the drivers seat, then turned around in her seat. "Do you need a ride to the airport or something?"

"No." Gloria shook her head. "I'd really like to tag along, so I can spend time with you and Lily, if that's okay?"

Ava thought about it for a few seconds and nodded. "Fine, but one complaint about my driving, and you're walking to Charming."

"Okay, okay." she held her hands up. "I won't say a word."

"Fantastic." Ava put on her sunglasses, started the engine, and drove off, heading west to California.

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><p>AN: There you have chapter one and it's a long one. Hope you enjoy this story and as always R&R! Thanks, my lovely's!


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

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><p>…Chapter Two…<p>

After a few bathroom breaks, stopping at three different places for a bite to eat, taking a pit stop at Cabazon to see the dinosaurs, and some shopping at the outlet stores, Ava smiled a little as she passed the 'Welcome to Charming' sign, a day and a half or so later. A part of her was happy to be home, but the other part reminded her why she left.

It was late, as Ava pulled up to Gloria's house, she reached back, and smacked her leg. "Wake up, Woman. This is your stop."

"What?" Gloria yawned, then looked around. "We're here?"

"Uh, yeah." she nodded as Tiny was stretching next to her.

"You know, the three of you can stay here, I have enough room."

Ava groaned, as she looked in the rear viewed mirror, seeing her little girl sound asleep, then Tiny gave her a slight nod. "Alright, but… just for tonight."

"That's fine. You and Lily can stay in your old room and Tiny can stay in the other one."

"Awesome." Ava rolled her eyes, then as they got out of the Tahoe, Ava carefully took Lily out of her booster seat, and carried her to the door. After Gloria unlocked it and turned on the lights, Ava went into her old room and laid Lily on the bed, then walked out. "Remember, we're only staying here for the night." she shut the door. "Tomorrow, we'll go to a hotel or something."

Gloria sighed. "Honey, it'll be okay if the three of you stay here. It's not a big deal. Besides, it'll save you money."

Ava stared at her for a few seconds before nodded. "I'll think about it, but no promises, that is, if you don't drive me completely bananas."

"Okay." Gloria gave her a hug. "Thanks for coming, Ava. I'm really glad you're here."

"Yeah." she let go and headed towards the front door. "I know." then she walked outside to her Tahoe and heavily sighed. "Tiny, please tell me… I did the right thing coming here."

"Well." Tiny grabbed a few duffle bags. "Yes, because you're here to see your dad, and I know if you didn't visit him, you'd regret it, so it's a good thing that you're here."

"Yeah, you're right. My mom said the same thing… that I'd regret it."

"See, so don't worry about it. Let's get some rest, because tomorrow is a brand new day."

"Alright." Ava nodded, then she helped Tiny bring in all of their stuff into Tiny's room, since Lily was asleep. After Ava grabbed what she needed, she got ready for bed, and laid down next to Lily, running her fingers through her hair. "Hey, Baby Girl." she whispered. "I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to possibly seeing your daddy tomorrow. He don't even know about you, but that's Mommy's fault for staying away for so long, and I'm sorry for keeping him from you, because it's not fair to either of you." Ava gave Lily a kiss on her forehead. "Good night." then she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

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><p>The next morning, Ava woke up to the sun shining in her face. "Ugh." she groaned. "Turn off the light."<p>

"Can't do that… the sun doesn't have an on or off switch."

Ava's eyes shot open, immediately recognizing that voice. "Gemma." she sat up. "I was wondering when you'd bust through the door, guns blazing." she chuckled, noticing the frown on her face. "When did you get here?"

"Not too long ago."

"Um." Ava looked around. "Where's Lily?"

"Oh, you mean my granddaughter?"

"Uh-huh." Ava nodded. "Yeah, her."

Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. "When the hell were you gonna clue us in that Jax had a child somewhere out there?"

"Honestly, I had no intention of coming back to Charming, at all. If it wasn't for Gloria annoying the shit out of me, I nor Lily would even be here."

"So, you'd be okay with Lily going on with her life not knowing her father?"

"I don't know, maybe." Ava shrugged. "I mean, it's worked for me all those years, right?"

Gemma scoffed, sitting down in a chair. "Different circumstances."

"Yeah, riiiiiight." Ava rolled her eyes.

"Now tell me, where did she get the bruise on her face and the cast on her wrist? You knocking her around?"

Ava chuckled, shaking her head. "No, Gemma… wow, as much as you hate me, you actually think I'd hit a child? You think I'd hurt my own daughter?"

"Then tell me why she's sporting a bruise and wearing a cast."

"Okay." Ava took a deep breath, then told Gemma the same thing she told Gloria the day before - what happened at Lily's school and the situation with Mason. "So, that's why we were in Sedona. He's after the three of us."

"So, are you in Charming to try and weasel into my sons life? Getting him in the middle of your bullshit?"

"Wow." Ava looked at Gemma incredulously. "I tell you that, that son of a bitch hurt my daughter and is after her and us, and your response is that I'm here to weasel into Jax's life? Really?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Do you see me running over to him and asking him for help or asking him for anything?"

"Not yet, but then again, it's still early."

"Gemma, I wasn't going to in the first place. I didn't come here for that. Did you not hear me when I said that I had no intention of coming back if it wasn't for Gloria?" Ava chuckled, shaking her head. "Damn, some things never change with you, does it?"

Gemma stood up. "Well, you better listen, Sweetheart, because I'm only going to say this once… Jax is coming home today, after being away from his family. Him and Tara got a good thing going on and my son don't need you messing with his head."

"I don't know how many times I can tell you that I'm not here for Jax. I'm here to see Elias, and when that's all done and over with, I'm taking Lily, and we're leaving back to Sedona."

"No, you're not taking my granddaughter anywhere."

"Oh yeah? You gonna try and stop me?" Ava scoffed. "Didn't you just tell me not to mess with Jax's head? And as much as he felt about me seven years ago, even though you hated it, keeping Lily here, will definitely mess with his head, and you know it will, but only plus about that, if I do end up staying… I will always be around, pissing you off, if you like it or not. But regardless what you think you know, whatever crazy idea you cooked up in your mind, I'm not here for Jax, I'm here for Elias."

"Well, for right now, you better not mess with my sons head." Gemma leaned in closer to Ava. "And more importantly… I wouldn't leave town if I were you."

"Wow, threatening me again, Gemma?" she laughed. "Bad form. Seven years ago, you threatened me to leave, which I did, and now, you're threatening me to stay? You're being a little wishy - washy and it's so… not you. You haven't gone soft, have you?"

"Oh no, Sweetheart, I haven't gone soft at all." Gemma stared at Ava with a serious look on her face. "You just remember what I said." then she smirked and walked out of the room.

"God!" Ava laughed, slamming her head on the pillow. "She's such a bitch!" after taking a few deep breaths, she got out of bed, put on a pair of jeans and a tank top, and walked out of the room.

"Good morning."

Ava glared at Gloria. "Where's Tiny and my daughter?"

"Out on the deck, eating breakfast." she looked up. "What's wrong?"

"You're really gonna sit there and ask me what's wrong?"

"What?" Gloria asked, innocently.

"I bet you couldn't wait to tell Gemma that I was in town. You just _had_ to tell her."

"What? Your name came up in a casual conversation."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Ava." Gloria heavily sighed. "I just want you to stay in Charming."

"So, instead of talking me about it, you sic Gemma on me like a rabid dog?"

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"Mom, you weren't in the room with us, when she was threatening me to stay… don't you dare mess with Jax's head." Ava mocked. "But you better stay in town."

"Oh." Gloria waved her hand. "Gemma's harmless."

"Mom, Gemma and harmless, does _not_ belong in the same sentence. It's like oil and water… you know damn well, that woman is _far_ from harmless."

"Ava, you're overreacting."

"And you're delusional."

A few minutes later, Tiny and Lily walked in from the back door, then Lily smiled. "Good morning, Mommy."

"Good morning, Baby Girl… how was breakfast?"

"It was yummy and we ate blueberry pancakes and bacon."

"Sounds good." Ava smiled.

Gloria reached into her purse and put a key ring on the coffee table. "Here, Ava, the keys to the house."

"I haven't even decided if I'm going to stay."

"You will." Gloria put her sunglasses on and headed towards the door. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm helping Gemma at the clubhouse for a little while and by the time I get back, you should be ready to go visit your father."

Ava scoffed. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, see you in a little bit." and before Ava could respond, Gloria walked out the door.

"Damn." Tiny chuckled. "She told you."

"Ugh!" Ava groaned. "That woman makes me want to rip my hair out."

"Don't do that, Mommy. You have pretty hair."

"Thank you, Lily, but I won't." Ava gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "How about you go get dressed? Your suitcase is in Tiny's room."

"Okay." Lily nodded, then skipped down the hallway.

"So, Ava." Tiny plopped down on the couch. "Why do you look like you've blown a gasket?"

"Shit." she plopped down on the recliner. "Where do I fucking begin?"

"Who was that woman, that was here?" Tiny asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"That… would be Gemma - the grandmother of my child."

Tiny chuckled. "She seems delightful."

Ava scoffed. "Hardly."

"Well, what happened?"

"Just arguing with her and arguing with Gloria, it's all exhausting." Ava paused. "And Gemma can't seem to make up her damn mind."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, check out this crazy shit… first - she tells me not to mess with Jax's head, because him and Tara has this good thing going on, whatever that means. Second - she tells me that I'm not taking Lily anywhere, because I said that after I visit Elias, we're going back to Sedona. Third - she threatened me to stay in Charming, which makes no sense to me, because seven years ago, she threatened me to leave, which I did." Ava took a deep breath. "That woman confuses the shit out of me."

"Are we gonna stay?"

"Where? With Gloria? Or Charming?"

"Well." Tiny shrugged. "Both."

"Staying at Gloria's - not sure. Staying in Charming - according to Gemma, I have no choice."

"Ava, maybe it's a good thing we're here, because maybe Mason won't find us."

"God, I hope not."

"Just stay positive." Tiny smiled. "And everything will be okay."

"See and this is why I love you, Tiny… your spunky attitude, how it keeps me in a good mood. Thank you."

"I love you too, Ava, and you're welcome."

"Hey, Mommy?" Lily walked out from the hallway. "Are these clothes okay?" both Tiny and Ava looked over and saw Lily wearing dark blue jeans, a cute white t - shirt, and white Nikes. Ava was amazed at just how much she looked like Jax, even with the clothes and all. All Lily needed was a flannel, cut, and a Harley, then she'd be a spitting image of her father. "Do I look okay to meet Daddy?"

"What?" Ava snapped out of her daze and raised her eyebrow. "Baby, who said that you'd be meeting your daddy?"

"Grandma Gloria."

Ava huffed. "Of course she did… Lily, come here." she walked over and stood in front of her mom. "I'm pretty sure you'll meet your dad while we're here, but I'm not sure if it'll be today."

Lily frowned. "Then why did you want me to get dressed?"

"In case we go somewhere, like, the store or something, and if we do, you'll be ready."

"Oh, okay."

"You do look very pretty, Lil."

"Thank you, Aunt Tiny." she smiled, then glanced at her mom. "Can me, Ozzy, and Phineas watch TV in our room?"

"Sure." Ava smiled. "Go ahead."

"Yay!" Lily cheered, as she ran down the hallway, and into the room.

"Oh… Em… Gee." Ava shook her head. "I can't believe Gloria told Lily about her dad. I wasn't ready to drop that bomb yet." she paused. "No, wait."

"What?" Tiny raised her eyebrow.

"I bet, if Gloria hadn't told her, then Gemma sure would have, so either way, she'd find out from one of them."

Tiny nodded. "I'm sure."

"Oh, shit." Ava stretched, then stood up. "I suppose I'll get dressed now."

"Yeah, me too." Tiny finished the last of her coffee. "Do you want to take a shower first?"

"Nah." Ava waved her hand. "You go ahead." she locked the front door. "I'm going to watch a little TV, with my girl, Ozzy, and Phineas. I bet her stuffed animals took over my pillow."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Tiny laughed. "I'll be in the shower." then as she went into the guest room, Ava went into hers.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

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><p>…Chapter Three…<p>

While Tiny and Lily were in the waiting room at St. Thomas, Ava was staring at the door of Elias' hospital room, taking deep breaths. A minute later, Gloria walked up to her with two coffees in her hands. "It's not Starbucks, but it'll do."

Ava took the cup out of her hand. "Thanks."

"Having trouble going inside?"

"A little… I didn't think it would be this hard."

"It's because you love him, Ava, and you don't want to see him hurt and helpless, and believe me, I don't want to see him like this either." Ava took another deep breath and slowly opened the door, but stopped. "You can do this." Gloria grabbed her hand and held it.

"Okay." Ava nodded, then both of them slowly walked in the room. As soon as Ava saw Elias hooked up to all the machines, she squeezed Gloria's hand, as her eyes got watery. "Why… why did this have to happen to him?"

"I don't know, Ava."

"But _how_ did it happen?" she asked, as she let go of Gloria's hand and sat down in the chair, next to the bed.

"I'm not sure what triggered it." Gloria stood on the other side of the bed. "He was at the bank, when he collapsed."

"Where were you?"

"Watching the boys."

"Boys?"

"Abel and Thomas… at Jax's house."

"Oh, right." Ava nodded, then held Elias' hand. "Okay."

Gloria raised her eyebrow. "Okay, what?"

Ava looked up. "I'll stay… maybe, for a few weeks."

"Thank you." Gloria smiled.

"And I'm not staying because of Gemma… it's for you and Elias, plus being here will keep us safe from Mason."

"Two weeks is fine. I get to spend time with my granddaughter."

"Yeah." Ava sighed. "Unless Gemma hogs up all of her time."

"Well, if that's the case, maybe you should stay longer than two weeks."

Ava frowned. "Don't push it."

Gloria chuckled, leaning up against the counter. "What are your plans for today?"

Ava raised her eyebrows. "What's yours?"

"After we leave here, I have to take the potato salad and macaroni salad to the clubhouse."

"For what?"

"Gemma wants the Prospects to take all the food, at once, to Opie and Lyla's wedding, that way, they don't have to make as many trips back and forth, from Charming to the reservation."

"Oh, that makes sense." Ava nodded. "So, Ope's getting married, huh?"

"Yeah, even though Lyla's a porn star, she's a sweet girl."

"Opie's marrying a porn star!" Ava said that louder than she wanted to. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Gloria nodded. "He seems happy with her, so more power to them."

"Well, whatever floats their boats." Ava shrugged.

"Exactly." Gloria nodded again. "Now, I told you my plans, what's yours?"

"Since I highly doubt that I'm invited to Ope's wedding, I'll just take Tiny and Lily shopping, maybe grab a bite to eat… I don't know, I'll think of something for us to do."

"You're not leaving town, are you?"

"No, Mom, I told you that I was staying."

"Okay." Gloria nodded. "Just making sure."

Ava stood up and gave Elias a kiss on his cheek. "See you later, Dad." then her and Gloria walked out and went into the waiting room. "Ready to go?"

"Where are we going, Mommy?"

"We're going to drop Grandma off at her house, then we're gonna go shopping."

"Yay!" Lily cheered. "I need new Chucks."

Ava laughed. "Okay, we'll find you a pair."

"How's your dad?" Tiny asked, getting up from the chair.

"He's hooked to a bunch of machines."

Tiny squeezed her shoulder. "Hopefully he'll wake up soon."

"Yeah." Ava nodded. "Hope so… now, lets shop til we drop!" then the four of them walked out of St. Thomas, got in Ava's Tahoe, then she drove back to Gloria's house.

...

After five hours of shopping at the mall in Sacramento, eating at In-N-Out Burger, and shopping a little more, the girls got back to Gloria's around nine pm. It didn't take long for them to bring in all the bags from the Tahoe, but when they did, all of it went into Tiny's room, so it wouldn't be cluttered in the small living room.

Right after Lily got her pajamas on, she quickly fell asleep, then Tiny and Ava were in the living room, watching TV, and playing with their new cell phones.

"Tiny, what would be a good ringtone for you?"

"I don't know." she shrugged. "Something cool."

"Oh! I got it… I Wish by Skee-Lo." then Ava pressed the button.

_"I wish I was little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a girl who looked good, I would call her. I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat and a '64 Impala."_

"No, you bitch!" Tiny tossed a pillow at Ava's head, which she dodged. "You better pick a new one."

"Alright, alright." Ava laughed. "Don't get your panties in a twist, but I mean, the song is fitting for you, since you're short as hell, Natasha."

"Don't address me by my first name in my presence." Tiny chuckled. "I seriously would like to throw a shoe at my mother, for naming me that God awful name." she scoffed. "At least yours is normal."

"Yeah." Ava nodded. "Plus it's easy with three letters and two syllables."

"Yeah." Tiny flipped her off. "You suck."

"Don't hate." Ava smirked, then suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She stuck her tongue out at Tiny. "I'll get it."

"You do that."

"I will." Ava laughed, then as she opened the door, and saw who was standing there, her laughter died down, and her eyes widened.

"Hello, Ava."

* * *

><p>AN: Hello there, peeps! Sorry that this chapter is so short and a cliffy. Never fear, there's more to come soon, so don't worry about that. I'll just be a bit busy for the next week and after all of that, I'll get back to the updates. Thanks for reading and SOA is the best show ever!


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

* * *

><p>…Chapter Four…<p>

Ava's heart was pounding a little, when she finally responded. "Uh, Jax, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Opie's wedding?"

"I was, but now I'm here." he looked at her from head to toe. "You look great."

"So do you… and you even cut your hair."

"Yeah, I did it while I was locked up."

"Who's at the door, Beeotch?"

Ava opened it a little more. "Jax, this is my best friend Tiny… Tiny, this is Jax."

"Hi, there." she stood up and Jax nodded, then Tiny chuckled. "And now, this must be my cue to exit."

"No, you can stay." Jax glanced at Ava. "You want to go for a ride and talk?"

"Uh, sure… let me grab something." then she headed towards the hallway. "Tiny, can you come here for a second?"

"Sure." she looked at Jax. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too." he nodded.

"What's up?" Tiny asked, walking into Ava's room. "You look like you're about to shit bricks, are you okay?"

"I don't know… I mean, I didn't think I'd see the father of my child and my first love _this_ soon."

Tiny put both of her hands on Ava's shoulders. "Relax and take deep breaths. You'll be fine. I'll stay with Lily, you just go talk to your baby's daddy, and fuck him silly."

Ava laughed. "Yeah, that's not happening."

"Well, either way, you'll be fine." Tiny let go. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Ava grabbed her hoodie and put it on. "Thanks, Tiny."

"No problem." she smacked her ass as she was leaving the room. "I won't wait up." she winked. "Later."

"Bye." Ava waved, then walked out into the living room. "So, how'd you know that I was in town?" she asked, grabbing her cell phone.

"Gloria told me."

"Right… of course she did."

"You ready?"

"Yeah." Ava nodded, then both of them walked out of the house, got on his bike, and he rode off.

...

"Um." Ava looked around. "You didn't bring me to the marina to drown me, did you?"

"No, I didn't." Jax grabbed her hand and lead her into one of the boats that was docked.

"Why are we here?" she asked, as they went below the deck. "Who owns this?"

"A buddy of mine."

"Oh." she sat down on the bed. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

Jax grabbed a chair and sat in it backwards, facing Ava. "When'd you get here?"

"Earlier today."

"What made you come back?"

"Gloria… wait, what exactly did she tell you?"

"Not much." he shrugged. "At the reception, she said that you were in town, and you were staying at her place."

"Oh." Ava let out a breath of relief. "The reason why I'm back is because, Gloria convinced me to come home, and see Elias, or I'd regret it." she groaned. "I hate it when she's right."

"Yeah, I heard." Jax nodded. "Have you seen him yet?"

"Yeah, today."

"So, how long are you staying?"

"Just a few weeks."

Jax just looked down and nodded. "Where are you living? In Phoenix, right?"

"No, actually, we live in Sedona."

"Who's we?"

"Tiny and my daughter Lily."

"You have a daughter?"

"Yeah."

"Where's her father?"

_"Sitting right in front of me."_ she thought to herself, then sighed. "He's around, but we're not together."

"Oh." Jax nodded and took a deep breath. "After your mom told me you were here, I was thinking about what to say to you, replaying it in my head."

Ava raised her eyebrow. "What was it?"

"The night you left, I thought it was bad dream, but when I realized that it wasn't, and you were really gone… Ava, I was a complete mess, more than I was when Tara took off. First - Ope gets locked up in Chino, then - I lose you, before I could give you this." Jax reached in the front pocket of his cut and pulled out a white gold princess cut diamond ring, with four smaller diamonds on both sides.

"Jax… " she breathed out, clearly shocked. "It's beautiful."

"I've held onto this for seven years, except during the time I was in Stockton, but for the most part, I held onto it, wondering if and when you'd come back to me." Jax put the ring back in the pocket and snapped the button to keep it safe. "Ava, why did you leave… and I don't want the Gemma version, I want the Ava version - the truth." she just sat there with a blank stare, then Jax grabbed one of her hands. "Come on, you can tell me. If I can survive getting stabbed by the Russians, then I can take this."

Ava's eyes widened. "What? You got stabbed? Where?"

Jax stood to his feet and lifted up his shirt and her jaw dropped. Out of impulse, she grazed her fingertips over his scars, which sent shivers down his spine. The kind of shivers he hasn't felt like that in a long time, then she dropped her hand on her lap, and looked up. "A Russian did this?"

"Yeah." Jax nodded as he sat down.

"Why?" she asked, but as he opened his mouth to respond, she quickly put her two fingers to his lips, and shook her head. "No, it's none of my business and I gave up that right seven years ago." she dropped her hand back in her lap. "So, don't tell me."

"Fair enough." he rested his hand on her leg. "Now, tell me the real reason why you left, and like I said, I can take it."

Ava stared at Jax for a couple of seconds, then took a deep breath. "A week after Opie was sent to Chino and Kyle was ex-communicated, he cornered me at the cemetery, asking and begging me to talk to you into changing the clubs mind. I told him that you nor the club would ever go for it."

"Fuck no, not after what that bastard did to Ope."

"That's what I was trying to tell him, but he wasn't listening."

"Okay." Jax nodded. "And then what happened?"

"He just kept bugging me and all the times he cornered me, no matter what, if it was at the store or coffee shop, Gemma was right there watching us, thinking that I was cheating on you, which I wasn't." Ava looked down and started playing with her fingernails, so she didn't have to look at Jax, for what she was about to say next. "The night of my twenty - first birthday, I was running late, and as I was walking to my car, Kyle grabbed me from behind, and tied me up in his truck, then took me somewhere." Ava felt the tears falling down her cheeks as she grabbed Jax's hand and squeezed. "Kyle attacked me. He ripped up all my clothes and he said that it was my punishment for not convincing you to let him back into SAMCRO."

"Ava… " Jax whispered, getting off the chair to sit next to her on the bed.

"After he left me, laying on the ground, I realized that I was close to T - M, so I went there as quick as I could to get some help. All I found was Gemma in the office doing paperwork. I tried telling her what had happened, thinking I'd get a little compassion from her, but no, it was the opposite."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know that Gemma hates me and God knows why, but instead of helping me, all she was doing was blaming it on me, saying that I asked for it, and she threatened to tell you… unless I left town, so I did, because I'm sure she'd put her own spin on what actually happened." Ava finally looked up at Jax, with tears falling down her face. "That is the _absolute_ truth… I don't know what Gemma told you, but I'm _not_ lying."

Jax wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I believe you… I just don't understand why you couldn't come to me and tell me what was going on."

"Honestly, I thought you'd give me the cold shoulder like Gemma."

"Ava." Jax got closer and held her face with his hands. "I'm not my mother and if I had known, I never would have let you leave me. Tara may have been my high school sweetheart and the mother of my children, but you're my soul mate and that runs deeper than anything out there. I know that sounds cheesy, but after Tara left to Chicago, you were there to pick up the pieces." he let go of her face, but kept his hands resting on her shoulders. "When Gloria told me that you were here, I wanted to leave right then, but I couldn't for a while, because of some club business besides the reception, but as soon as it was all done, I went over to Gloria's as fast as I could."

"Jax." Ava sighed. "What about Tara and the boys?"

"I'm not with them… I'm with you and right now, it's the only place I want to be." then suddenly, Jax leaned in and kissed Ava on her lips. Her head was screaming to get out of there, but her heart was telling her to stay, so she went with the obvious choice, kissing Jax right back.

_..._

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Gloria raised her eyebrow, looking up from her TV show as the knocking continued. "Alright, alright." she muttered, getting off the couch, then she opened the door. "Gemma, what brings you here, this late?"

"Jax isn't answering his phone." Gemma walked right in. "He's not at his house or at the clubhouse."

"So, you think he's here? Did you see his bike outside?"

"No, but you never know. I'm just checking to make sure. What room is Ava in?"

"Hers." Gloria pointed towards the hallway.

Gemma walked over and opened the door. Taking a breath of relief, she saw two bodies laying in the bed. Satisfied with seeing Ava and Lily, she shut the door, and turned to Gloria. "Okay, Ava's here."

"Yeah, her Tahoe is parked outside, so I'm pretty sure she hasn't left."

"Okay, good." Gemma smirked. "Jax must be somewhere else, as long as it's far away from Ava… thanks, Gloria, I'll let myself out." and with that, Gemma walked out of the house.

After Gloria knew that she was gone, she went to check Ava's room. "Wait a minute." she whispered. "That's_not_ my daughter." she giggled, shutting the door. "Well done, Ava… well done."

...

Ava was laying on Jax's chest, looking up at the ceiling, while he was tickling her arms, then he heavily sighed. "I missed you." he started. "You leaving me was a million times worse than when Tara left, which means, I'm gonna make sure you stay longer than two weeks."

"You think so, huh?" she grazed her finger over his scars.

"Yeah, you won't be going back to Sedona. Charming is your home."

"I don't know, Jax." she sat up, bringing up the sheet with her to cover her chest. "I was _never_ going to come here, but Gloria convinced me to visit Elias." she laid back down. "So I did."

"I'm glad you did. I was wondering if and when I'd see you again, but now that you're here." Jax rolled over on top of Ava, moving the hair out of her face. "I'm _not_ letting you go this time."

"Oh, really?" she giggled. "Good luck with that, Sir."

"You just watch." Jax started nibbling on her neck. "You'll end up staying." Ava just laughed as they went for round two.


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

* * *

><p>…Chapter Five…<p>

Gloria had woken up the next morning to the smell of coffee brewing. She got out of bed, put on her robe, and walked out of her room into the kitchen, but stopped in her tracks. "Ava? What are you doing up?"

"I made some coffee."

"Have you slept at all?"

"No… actually, I just got home."

Gloria grabbed a cup and poured some coffee, then sat down at the table next to Ava. "You were with Jackson, huh?"

"How?" Ava raised her eyebrow. "How do you even know that?"

Gloria took a sip. "Gemma stopped by, looking for Jax. He wasn't at home or the clubhouse, and he wasn't answering his phone. For some silly reason, she thought he was here."

"Did you tell her anything?"

"I didn't have to, she opened the door to your room."

"Oh, no… she saw that I wasn't there, didn't she?"

"No, no." Gloria shook her head. "Be grateful that Tiny was in there laying with Lily, because Gemma thought that it was you."

"Whoa." Ava let out a breath of relief. "I'm going to buy Tiny a huge present… and then what happened?"

"Well, Gemma seemed satisfied, thinking she saw you asleep, so she left."

"Wow." Ava chuckled. "If Gemma would have found Jax and I here, that would have been awkward."

"No kidding." Gloria slightly shook her head. "Have you told him about your current situation? Or about Lily?"

"I wanted to, but I just couldn't. I'm afraid of what he might say or do. He might even cut me out of his life forever." Ava sighed. "Thanks for the save though."

"No problem." Gloria took a sip. "This is good coffee."

...

Gemma saw Jax pulling into T - M, so she put on her sunglasses and walked out of the office. "Hey, Baby."

"Hey." he replied, taking his helmet off.

"Heard you didn't come home last night."

"Yeah, I went out for a ride." he got off his bike. "Why?"

"Just making sure you weren't with_ her_."

"_Her_, who?"

"That little bitch, Ava."

Jax frowned. "She's not a bitch, but I didn't even know that she was in town." he lied. "This is news to me. When'd she get here?"

"A few days ago." Gemma shrugged. "Ava says she's here to visit Elias, but we all know that ain't true."

"What do you mean?"

"She's clearly here for you, Jackson, to manipulate you, to do her dirty work."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ava has a restraining order on her ex and he's been ignoring it, and that's why she moved herself, her daughter, and friend to Sedona. The ex is after all of them." Gemma paused. "And now that she's here, she's going to ruin everything." Jax just shook his head, putting his helmet back on. "Where are you going?" he didn't respond, he just got on his bike and started it up. "Where are you going, Jackson?" she demanded.

"I got things to do." and with that, he rode off.

"Shit." Gemma shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Clay asked, walking up to her.

"I made the mistake telling him that Ava's in town."

Clay raised his eyebrow. "She is?"

"Yeah, but something in my gut is telling me that he already knew."

...

"Tiny." Ava said, in a sing - song voice, walking into her bedroom. "You are a…" she looked around. "Where's Lily?"

Tiny sat up. "She's in the shower… now, what were you saying? I'm a what?"

Ava sat down next to her on the bed. "You, my best friend in the whole wide world, are a life savor."

"Okay." Tiny laughed. "I'll take it, but why?"

"While I was with Jax last night, I guess Gemma came over to check and see if he was here. Obviously he wasn't, but she looked in here, and thought I was sleeping… when it was actually you."

"Oh, wow, well." Tiny laughed. "You're welcome."

Ava shook her head, then laid down on the bed with her feet touching the ground. "Had she known what was really going on… Gemma would have single handedly started world war three."

"So, what did you and Jax do?" Tiny noticed the smirk on Ava's face, then she smacked her leg. "Bitch, you said that you weren't going to sleep with him."

"I know, but it just… happened."

"No, something like that, just does not _happen_. Have you slept at all?"

"No." Ava shook her head. "I haven't had any sleep."

"Well, maybe you should, because you look like shit… just saying."

Ava smacked Tiny's leg. "Gee, thanks."

"Well, since I'm your best friend ever, I'll take Lily out for breakfast, maybe hit up the park, or do a little shopping."

"Oh." Ava closed her eyes. "That would be great and you are the best."

"I know, right?" Tiny laughed, getting off the bed. "I need to get ready to go, you just take a long nap."

"Oh, I will." Ava kicked off her shoes and scooted towards the middle of the bed, then grabbed a pillow. "You and Lily have fun."

"Oh, we will, Mama." Tiny laughed as she walked out of the room.

...

Jax pulled up to Gloria's house and noticed that the Tahoe was gone, but he got off his bike, and knocked anyway. "Hi." he said, as the door opened.

"Hello, Jackson." Gloria said, with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to Ava, is she here?"

"Yeah, she's in her old room, go right on in."

"Thanks." Jax nodded, walking in, then he went into her room. He shut and locked the door, and smiled, seeing Ava sleeping so peacefully. "Ava, wake up." he whispered, sitting down next to her. "Ava, Ava, Ava… wake up." he grazed his fingers on her cheek.

"What?" she mumbled.

Jax just chuckled, leaning in closer. "Ava."

"What?" she opened her eyes, and got startled. "Jax? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Right this second?" she groaned, then rubbed her eyes. "Okay, what is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me that your ex is after you?"

"Who told you that?"

"My mom."

Ava's eyes widened a little, as she sat up. "What else did she say?"

"Only that he's been ignoring his restraining order and that's why you moved your daughter and your friend to Sedona." Jax heavily sighed. "How come you didn't tell me that you're in trouble?"

"What? So Gemma could throw it in my face, she thinking that she was right?"

"Is she right?"

"No, Jax. I'm here visiting Elias and I'm only going to say this one more time… I had no intentions of coming back to Charming, but if it wasn't for Gloria bugging the shit out of me, then I would not even be here."

"Okay, I believe you, but you still should have told me about your ex, and who cares what Gemma thinks." Jax grabbed her hand. "Tell me what's going on." then for the next fifteen minutes, Ava told Jax everything about Mason and why he was after her. When she was done, Jax had a serious look on his face. "That's it, now you're really staying in Charming, so you can be safe."

"Then that would only prove Gemma right."

"Ava." Jax raised his voice a little. "I want you to stop listening to my crazy mom and listen to me." she just nodded. "All three of you will be safe in Charming. I'll have Juice hook you and your friend up with a pre-pay phone, so you can call me when you need me, plus I'll bring this up with the club."

"Jax, you don't have to do that."

"Well, I'm not gonna sit back and let you get hurt by that guy, not if I can help it."

Ava sighed in defeat. "There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"Nope." Jax chuckled, then gave Ava a kiss on her lips. "I'll keep you safe… he's not going to hurt you again, okay?"

"Okay." she nodded, then Jax reached over to grab her phone, and pressed some buttons. "What are you doing?"

"Until you get a pre-pay, I'm putting in a few numbers, just in case."

"That's fine, but who's exactly?"

"Mine, Juice, Hap, Kozik, Miles, and Chibs."

"Kozik?" Ava raised her eyebrow. "Isn't he from the Tacoma Charter?"

"Yeah, he was, but while we were locked up, he was patched into SAMCRO."

"Oh, so how does Tig feel about that?"

"He's dealing with it."

"Good." she nodded. "Who's Miles?"

"One of the Prospects that recently got patched in."

"Oh."

Jax gave Ava another kiss. "You get some sleep and I'll stop by later. Maybe you can introduce me to your daughter."

"Uh, yeah, maybe."

Jax winked as he got up from the bed. "Later, Ava."

"Bye, Jax." she did a little wave, then after he walked out, she slammed her head on the pillow, and closed her eyes. "This is so not what I had in mind." she muttered.

After thirty minutes, Ava gave up on trying to fall back to sleep, no matter what she did. Instead of trying some more, she literally rolled out of the bed, and went out to the living room.


	6. Chapter Six

A/N #1: Hello, to all you readers out there. Massive massive apologies. Yes, I know. I'm horrible for not updating in months. I'm sooooo sorry for not updating ANY of my stories. I hope that will all change. Some of them, I started writing again, breaking the writers block, so there's that. I hope all of yous are still with me and enjoy this chapter. Slowly but surely, more will be coming soon.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

* * *

><p>…Chapter Six…<p>

It was extremely quiet in the house and Ava didn't like it too much. "Hello? Anyone home?" she called out, but got no response. "So I am alone." she muttered, looking out the window, seeing that her Tahoe was gone as well as Gloria's truck. "Awesome." she plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. As soon as she got comfortable, she heard the sound of motorcycles pulling up, followed by a knock on the door. She got up and after she opened it, she had a huge smile on her face, seeing two familiar faces. "Chibs… Juice!"

"Wow, Love." Chibs hugged Ava spinning her around. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

"How are ya?" he asked, putting down to her feet.

"I'm alright." she nodded, then gave Juice a hug. "Hey, you."

"Hey, Ava." he backed up to look at her. "Where the hell have you been, girl?"

"In Arizona." she shut the door. "Come, sit down." Juice sat in the recliner, as Ava and Chibs sat on the couch. She looked between both of them. "So, what's up guys?" she asked, muting the TV.

"Jax wanted me to give you this." Juice reached into his pocket and tossed a prepay phone in her lap. "I put all the numbers you might need."

"Thanks." she nodded.

"Jackie Boy told us that you have a wee one." Chibs looked around. "Is she here?"

"Her name is Lily; her and my friend Tiny went out somewhere shopping."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

Juice shook his head. "Jax also told us that your ex is after you… Ava, they shouldn't be alone."

"Alright." she grabbed her other cell phone. "Let me see where she's at." she dialed the number. "You… are going to her?"

"Yeah, but I'll also have Hap meet me there."

Ava nodded at Juice as she got no answer, so she tried again, and put it on speaker. "I swear this girl better answer her phone."

"What's up, Beeotch?"

"Hey, Tiny… where are you and Lily right now?"

"Well, my love, Lily and I are at Target in Lodi. Just doing a little more shopping."

"And what are you buying exactly?"

"Lily wanted to get a card for her daddy when she meets him."

"Who's her daddy?" Juice whispered.

Ava shook her head. "Hey, Tiny… two of the guys are gonna meet you at Target."

"Why?"

"Just a little precaution, so you're not alone, in case something happens."

"Okay." Tiny took a deep breath. "Who or what am I looking for?"

"The guys you are looking for… one has a mohawk and tattoos on his head and the other is bald with tattoos on his arms - both wearing cuts."

There was a long pause before Tiny spoke. "What the hell is a cut?"

Ava chuckled. "Oh, right… you don't know. A cut is their black leather vests with patches on them. Just look for a huge reaper on the back."

"Okay and their names are?"

"Juice and Happy."

There was another long pause before Tiny spoke again. "Alright, Lily and I will be in the books section, near the DVD's."

"Awesome, they're on the way, bye." then Ava hung up her phone and glanced at Juice. "You better get going."

"Yeah." he stood up. "But first… who's Lily's father?"

"Trust me." Ava sighed. "When you see her, you'll know."

"Alright." he chuckled, as he bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Glad you're home." she just nodded, then Juice walked out of the house.

"So." Chibs looked around. "Where's Gloria?"

Ava shrugged. "I have no clue."

"Have you seen Elias yet?"

"Yesterday, for a little while."

"I'm sorry about that, Love… he's a good guy and I hope he comes out of it."

"Thank you, Chibs." she gave him a slight smile. "I hope so too."

Five minutes later, the door opened and Jax walked right in. "Hey." he nodded at Chibs.

"What's up, Jackie Boy?"

"Where's Juice?"

"He's meeting Happy at Target in Lodi." Ava sat up straight. "Because Tiny and Lily are by themselves." suddenly, she noticed the pissed off look on his face. "What's wrong?"

Jax ignored Ava's question and glanced at Chibs. "Clay needs you at the clubhouse. I'll stay."

"You got it." he stood up and gave Ava a kiss on the top of her head. "See you later, Love."

"Bye." she waved, then Chibs walked out of the house. Jax locked the door and turned to face her. "Uh, is something wrong?" he just glared at her, thinking about the conversation he had with Gemma, after he walked into the office not too long ago.

_…Flashback…_

_"You wanted to talk to me about something?"_

_Gemma looked up and smirked a little. "Actually, I have something to show you. I didn't get to finish talking to you earlier. You just took off."_

_Jax groaned, sitting in the chair. "Show me what?"_

_"Something that belongs to you." she held up her phone. "Take a look."_

_Jax grabbed it and stared at a picture of a blonde hair, blue eyed little girl with a bruise on her face and a cast on her wrist. "Who…"_

_"That's your six year old daughter Lily and Ava's kept her from us."_

_Jax snapped his head up at Gemma with his eyes wide. "Are you sure she's mine?"_

_"You can see that Lily is a spitting image of you and Ava didn't even deny it."_

_"How long have you known about this?"_

_"Yesterday morning. I didn't want to tell you then because of Ope's wedding."_

_Jax stared at the picture again. "Why does she have a bruise and a cast?"_

_"Ava's ex did it." Gemma crossed her arms. "And I'm sure she just sat there and let it happen." Jax was livid. He quickly sent the picture to his phone, then set Gemma's phone on the desk, and stood up. "What are you gonna do?" she asked, seeing that look in his eyes. _

_"Get some answers." he said, storming out and slamming the door behind him. _

_…End of Flashback…_

"Jax?" Ava said, snapping him out of his angry daze. "What's wrong?"

"When the hell were you gonna tell me?!"

"Tell you what?" she winced, a little.

"This." he held up the picture of Lily on his cell phone and Ava sighed in defeat. "You told me that you had no intentions on coming back here." he paused. "Were you _ever_… going to tell me that she's my daughter?"

"I would have." she paused. "Eventually… I just didn't know when or how I'd tell you."

Jax stood in front of Ava, looking down at her. "Last night, I asked you where her father was… you said 'he's around, but we're not together' and you were talking about me the whole damn time! Why the hell didn't you say anything, Ava?!" he shouted, making her flinch.

"I… I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? And you just sat there and let your piece of shit ex boyfriend of yours hurt and bruise my little girl?!"

"No, no, no… back up." she stood up and got into Jax's face. "I didn't _let_ him hurt her nor did I just sit there. That's a goddamn lie. I told you _exactly_ what happened and what I did to get us the hell away from him. And as for the bruise, it's from a kid that was bullying her since school started. I told her - if it keeps on - she had my permission to hit him back. A few days ago, he hit her again and she gave him a black eye. After that I pulled her out of there." Ava crossed her arms. "Now, I don't know what the hell Gemma told you, but don't you dare, stand there, accusing me of letting _any_ of this happen to our daughter."

Jax looked into Ava's eyes and knew she was telling the truth. He heavily sighed, then uncrossed her arms, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry." he whispered.

"I'm sorry too." she slightly nodded. Jax backed up and stared at her, then kissed her lips. Before she knew it, Jax picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into her room and locked the door.

* * *

><p>AN #2: There ya go! It's kinda short, but there's more to come. Don't forget to R&R! Enjoy!


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

* * *

><p>…Chapter Seven…<p>

Both Tiny and Lily were looking at the DVD's that were on sale, when Lily picked one up. "Can I get this one?"

"Let me see." Tiny saw the front of it and shook her head. "No, I don't think your mommy will let you watch Nightmare on Elm Street."

"But it's not even scary." Lily shook her head.

"Well, when we get back to your grandmas, you ask Mommy if it's okay to get it."

"Okay, fine." Lily sighed, putting the DVD back on the shelf and looked at more.

A few minutes later, as Tiny glanced up, she spotted the two guys in their cuts, that Ava described, walking towards her and Lily. "Hi, the names Tiny." she smiled. "Happy and Juice, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Juice."

"Happy." he gave her a slight nod.

"Okay, it's nice to meet both of you… and this is Lily." she pointed. Once both of them laid their eyes on her, their jaws dropped a little, and Tiny raised her eyebrow. "Um, you two okay?"

"Yeah." Juice started. "It's just that, Ava told me… when I saw her daughter, I'd know exactly who her father was."

"She looks just like him." Happy added.

"Yeah, she does." Tiny agreed. "Hey, Lil… this is your mommy's friends: Juice and Happy. They're here to stay with us while we shop."

"Hi." she did a little wave and smiled at them, before she continued looking at the DVD's.

"So… what brings you to Charming?" Juice asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Ava's mom actually." she glanced up and saw Lily walking further away. "Don't go too far, Lil."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Happy volunteered and went over to where she was at.

Tiny nodded, then continued. "So, yeah… Gloria wanted Ava to visit Elias before it was too late, plus a little nudge from me - also brought us here."

"And it's keeping you three from her ex."

Tiny nodded. "Thank God… but did you see Lily's cast? Mason broke her wrist, while he was drunk and lied, saying she fell down the steps. Ava confronted him about it and he slapped her a few times because she didn't believe him."

"Wow" Juice shook his head. "What about the bruise?"

"That was from a kid at her school, but Lily totally gave the little bastard a black eye."

"Good for her." he paused and took a breath. "Well, while you're here, the three of you will be safe."

...

Happy followed Lily to the toys, when she suddenly stopped. "What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Hot Wheels." she went up to them and grabbed a few. "I found 'em."

"Hey." he raised his eyebrow. "Don't little girls like dolls and pink shit?"

"Yeah." she looked up at him. "But not me."

Happy chuckled, ruffling her hair. "You're okay, Kid." a few minutes later, he noticed that Lily had three Hot Wheels in her hands with a slight smile. "Are those the ones you're gonna get?"

"Yeah." then her smile turned into a frown. "But Mason - Mommy's ex boyfriend - took all my money out of the bank."

Suddenly, Happy started to get angry. "Does your mom know?"

Lily looked up at him with a sad face and shook her head. "He told me that if I told Mommy… I'll be in trouble." then she grabbed Happy's hand as a tear fell down her cheek. "Please don't tell my mommy. I don't wanna be in trouble. Mason is always mean to me… he broke my wrist, because he was mad at me."

Happy was beyond livid. At that moment, he wanted to find that piece of shit and tear him from limb to limb, very slowly, but he kept his cool and kneeled down to Lily's level. "Listen, Kid… your mom needs to know what happened to your money."

"But… I'll get in trouble."

"No, you won't… as long as I'm around. He'll have to get through me to get to you and trust me, he won't even get close, a'ight?" Lily nodded, then after Happy stood up, he grabbed the three Hot Wheels. "Are these the ones you still want?"

"Yeah."

"I'll get 'em for you."

Lily gave him a huge smile as she hugged his leg. "Thank you."

"Welcome." he ruffled her hair again. "Let's find Juice and Tiny."

...

"I'm so sorry, Jax." Ava said, as she was laying on his chest, tracing his scars with her finger. "You had every right to know about Lily and I just… I'm sorry."

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" he paused. "Or even tell me before you left Charming?"

"Because you never would have let me leave… when I had to."

"No, Ava, you didn't have to. We would have figured something out."

"How, Jax? With your mother hovering over me. She threatened me against you and I just couldn't deal with it then."

"What about now?"

"Well, now… it's different and I've changed. I'm not the same girl as I was seven years ago and I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever Gemma throws at me."

Jax leaned up, looking down at Ava. "I'm not letting you leave me again. I'll get you and Lily a place, then we can be together."

Ava sighed. "And Tara's just going to be okay with that?"

Jax groaned. "Would you stop bringing up Tara? Look, we're drifting apart."

"Does she feel the same way?"

"Tara wants me out of SAMCRO, like, she always has, but I can't, not now… not when all this new shit is piling up. Ava." he looked into her eyes. "Stay with me."

"Jax." she took a deep breath. "Can I think about it?"

"What is there to think about?"

"Ugh." Ava groaned. "You sound like Gloria."

"Look, I want you and our daughter to stay in Charming, so I can protect you both. Come on, stay with me."

"Just… just let me think about it, I told Gloria that I'm staying for two weeks, but I'll give you a definite answer then."

"Fair enough." he gave her a kiss. "I'll give you _some_ time."

"Thank you." she smiled. "So, when would you like to meet Lily?"

"When she gets back. Does she know about me?"

"Yes, I've told her, but Gloria is the one that told her that she was going to be meeting her daddy while on this trip and she got all dressed up, but that was yesterday." she sighed, looking up at him. "And again, I'm sorry I kept her from you."

"Stay with me and you're forgiven."

Ava lightly smacked Jax's cheek. "Ha - ha." she lifted up her head. "Do you know what time it is?"

"No, why?"

"Tiny and our daughter should be back soon… so, you might wanna put some clothes on before she walks through that door."

"Yeah, you're right." Jax rested his head on her chest. "I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be… she's actually excited to meet you."

"Okay." Jax took a deep breath and kissed Ava for a minute, then she giggled. "What?" he asked.

"We're supposed to be getting our clothes back on, not making out."

"Yeah, okay." he gave her a kiss on her forehead, before rolling off of her, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Ava stared at his reaper tattoo on his back and smiled, before wrapping the sheet around her body as she got out of bed and grabbed some clothes out of her suitcase. "Hurry and get dressed." she said, walking into her bathroom. "What the hell am I doing?" she whispered, looking at herself in the mirror. Shaking her head, she put on a pair of blue jean shorts and a white tank top, then put her hair up in a bun as she walked back into her room.

"You look." Jax, completely dressed, grabbed Ava's wrist and pulled her into his arms. "…hot."

"Uh." she laughed. "Thanks." she held his hand and lead him in the living room. "Have a seat, they should be here soon." right after he sat down, both of them heard a car and two motorcycles pulling up. "Never mind, they're here."

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, I know… a little cliffy. But no worries, my friends! More to come! And don't forget to R&R!


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

* * *

><p>…Chapter Eight…<p>

As Jax stood to his feet, Ava saw the look on his face. "Still nervous?" he nodded, then she smiled. "Go wait in the kitchen. I'll talk to Lily when she comes in… and Jax?" she lightly put her hand on his cheek. "Don't worry… everything will be okay."

"A'ight." he took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, while Ava went outside.

"Hey, what's up, Ava?"

"Hey, Hap." she gave him a hug. "How've you been?"

"A'ight."

"How's your mom?" she asked, letting go.

"She's doing better. She just got on some new meds and so far, it's helping."

"That's good… I'm glad."

"Mommy." Lily hugged her leg.

"Hello, Baby Girl." Ava saw a plastic bag in her hand. "What'd you get?"

"Happy bought me some Hot Wheels." she put up her little fingers. "Three of them."

"That's awesome." Ava glanced up and saw Tiny and Juice with a bunch of plastic bags. "Geez, guys… you buy the whole store?"

"Just about." Juice laughed.

"I didn't buy the _whole_ store."

"Yeah, Tiny…" Ava opened the door for them to walk in. "It looks like it."

"Hey." Tiny put a few bags down on the living room floor. "I only got a couple of things."

"A couple?"

"Oh, shut up." Tiny threw a couch pillow at Juice's head, then he caught it and laughed as he sat down in the recliner as Tiny sat in the love seat.

"Jax here?" Happy asked, leaning on the couch.

"Yeah… but wait." Ava took a deep breath, sitting on the recliner. "Lily, come here for a second."

"Okay." she set her bag on the coffee table and stood in front of Ava. "Yes, Mommy?"

"Remember I told you that you'd meet your daddy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he's here." suddenly, Lily's eyes widened, then quickly welled up. "What? What's wrong?"

"I forgot to get him a card."

Ava wiped a few tears and gave her a hug. "Oh, Baby, it's okay." she backed to look at her. "Father's Day is coming up, you can get him one then."

"I'm sorry, Lil… I forgot too."

"It's okay, Aunt Tiny." Lily rubbed her eyes.

Ava turned Lily's body towards her. "Do you wanna meet your daddy now?" she asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Is he going to like me?"

"Of course he will." Ava nodded with a smile. "He'll love you."

Lily looked around. "Where is he?"

"Hold on." Ava jumped from her seat and stood next to the recliner. "Jax, come in here." she called out, then he walked out of the kitchen. Once he stopped into the living room, his eyes were glued to the little girl that looked just like him. "Okay, Lily, this is your daddy… Jax, this is our daughter: Lily Rae Cooper."

"Hi." Jax sat down in front of Lily in Ava's previous spot on the recliner.

"I forgot to get you a card."

Jax chuckled. "That's alright." suddenly his smile turned into a frown seeing the cast and the bruise she had. "Your mom told me that you gave a kid in school a black eye."

"He started it." she shrugged. "I warned him."

"The little punk deserved it."

Lily turned her head and nodded. "He sure did, Uncle Happy." she paused. "Can I call you uncle?"

"Sure, Kid." he smiled at her.

A few seconds later, Gloria walked in with bags in her arms and hands. "Oh, good." she stopped in her tracks to see what was going on. "Oh, I didn't know they were meeting today."

"Yeah." Ava nodded. "Did you buy food?"

"Yep." Gloria glanced over at Juice and Happy. "Could you two help bring in the groceries?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Juice stood up, then him and Happy walked outside.

Gloria set the bags she had on the kitchen table, then went back into the living room. "Hello, Lily."

"Hi, Grandma… this is my daddy, Jax." she said, grabbing his hand with a huge smile.

"I know your dad. I've known him for a long time." Gloria noticed a bunch of Target bags on the floor. "What's all this?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Tiny started grabbing them. "I did a little shopping."

"No." Ava laughed. "She bought the whole store."

"I did not." Tiny laughed as well, walking down the hallway.

Suddenly, Juice and Happy walked inside with all the groceries, then went straight into the kitchen. "Thanks, Guys." Gloria said, following them.

Ava tapped Lily on her arm to get her attention. "Hey, how about you and I go talk to Daddy in the room?"

"Okay." she picked up her bag of Hot Wheels and looked at Jax. "You can meet Phineas and Ozzy."

"Sure." he stood up and took her other hand. "Who are they?"

"My best buddies in the whole world." she shrugged.

"You two go ahead." Ava urged. "I'll be there… in a few."

As both of them went into her room, Juice and Happy walked out of the kitchen, then Juice gave Ava a kiss on the cheek. "We gotta get going."

"Oh, okay." she gave him a hug, then gave Happy a hug as well. "See ya, Killa."

"Later, Ava." he nodded, before they walked out of the house.

Gloria came out of the kitchen; with a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch. "So… how did Jax find out about Lily?"

Ava stared at her incredulously and scoffed. "How do you think?"

"Yeah." Gloria took a sip. "It certainly wasn't me and I didn't think it was you."

"Nope." Ava shook her head. "Not me, but I'm glad they finally met… it was long over due."

"Where are they?"

Ava pointed towards the hallway. "In my room, talking."

"Well, that's good." Gloria smiled. "Oh, I'll be making dinner soon… is Jax staying?"

"I'm not sure." Ava shrugged, then went into her room, and shut the door. She saw Lily sitting in Jax's lap, showing him a photo album. "Hey, whatcha' doing?"

"Hi, Mommy… I'm showing Daddy some pictures."

"Oh, okay." Ava sat down on the bed next to them. "Lily, dinner will be ready soon."

"Are you staying, Daddy?"

Jax slightly shook his head. "I can't tonight… maybe some other time."

"Okay." Lily closed the photo album and jumped out of his lap. "Since I forgot to get you a card, can I draw you a picture?"

"Sure." he smiled.

"Yay!" she cheered, grabbing her backpack, then sat on the floor. "I'll draw you the best picture ever, Daddy."

"Alright." ne nodded, scooting closer to Ava and held her hand. "Thank you."

"For?"

Jax glanced at Lily, before looking back at her. "Letting me meet my daughter."

"You're welcome… I should have done it a long time ago."

As Jax was gazing into Ava's eyes, his phone rang, pulling them both out of their daze. He cleared his throat, taking it out of his pocket, and answered it. "Yeah? What? No… a'ight, shit. I'll be right there." he sighed, snapping his phone shut. "I gotta go."

"Wait… I'm almost done." Lily said, putting the finishing touches on the picture, then stood up and handed it to him. "All done."

"Thank you. I love it." he smiled at her.

Lily gave Jax a hug. "Bye, Daddy." then she ran into the bathroom and shut the door.

Ava chuckled, as she stood to her feet. "She _just_ met you and she already loves you."

Jax nodded, folding up the drawing and putting it in his other pocket. "I love her too." he stood up as well and gave Ava a hug. "I'll see you later." she nodded, then Jax gave her a kiss. "Bye." he smiled at her before walking out of her room.

"Not staying for dinner, Jackson?"

"Nah, I gotta get going." he proceeded to the door. "Bye, Gloria."

"Bye, bye." she waved, then after he left, she turned off the TV, got up, and went into the kitchen to finish making dinner.

* * *

><p>AN: Alrighty, peeps. Yes, I've been lacking on my updating as of late. Apologies. I've been reading back on some of my old stories and I feel that they'll be going nowhere, but some I WILL update and I'll possibly be putting up new ones. Maybe the first one very soon, but we'll see how things play out.

Can you believe that this is the LAST freaking season of SOA? I really, really, REALLY don't want it to end. EVER. I know that it has to, but still. Every episode I watch, my anxiety gets higher and higher. Eh, I don't care though, because this is the BEST SHOW EVER. Well, I hope you all enjoy this filler chapter. More is coming soon. Thanks a bunch and don't forget to R&R.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween.


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

* * *

><p>…Chapter Nine…<p>

It was late when Tara got home from work. Jax wasn't there, again, and the boys were staying over at Gemma's for the night. Being alone, she was a little grateful for the peace and quiet, since she had a stressful day at the hospital. As Tara was doing the laundry, she thought about taking along bath and unwind with some beer and think about everything that's been happening. Jax acting more secretive than usual and different since Opie and Lyla's reception - being gone or not even at home for the past week. Then there was Gemma acting weird, as well as the guys, and to top it all off - with the help of Margaret Murphy - she got a job offer at a hospital in Oregon and Tara has no clue how to deal with any of it.

Picking up the jeans out of the hamper, Tara noticed a paper fall out of one of the pockets, onto the floor. After stuffing the jeans into the washer, she grabbed the paper and opened it. Her eyes widened as she read what it was. It was a drawing of three people holding hands next to what looked like some kind of tree and a house with a bunch of flowers. On the side of that, it said_ "Mommy, Daddy Jax, and me."_ On the bottom, it said _"To Daddy. Love, Lily. I love you."_

Tara put the soap and softener in the washer, turned it on, and slammed the lid, then she grabbed her phone to dial a number. "I can't believe this." she muttered, waiting for the line to be picked up.

"Hello?"

Tara was staring intently at the drawing. "Gemma, I know you know."

"Excuse me?" she scoffed. "Know what?"

"Who the hell is Lily?"

"Oh, shit." Gemma heavily sighed, then for the next twenty minutes, she told Tara about Ava being back in Charming, along with everything else that's been going on for the past week, and why she was being avoided by almost everyone.

...

Jax walked into his house, a little after 11:45pm. He was supposed to spend some time with Ava and Lily, but he didn't get to, since he was out with Chibs and Opie. He went into the boys' room first, but it was empty, so he went to find Tara. After a moment, he found her in the tub taking a bubble bath with a bottle of Jack Daniels - straight up. "Hey, where's Abel and Thomas?"

"They're at Gemma's."

"Oh." he nodded, then noticed the frown on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I had a long shift at work." she paused. "Also… I, uh, got a job offer at a hospital in Oregon today for a position as a pediatric surgeon."

Jax crossed his arms. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"I called Margaret and said that I'd think about it, but I do have to meet with the chief resident and attending in a few days… and honestly, it'd be a great opportunity to start off fresh and keep the boys safe." she took a deep breath. "If I do decide to accept the offer, will you come with me?"

Jax let out a irritated groan. "You know I can't leave, especially with all the shit piling up with the club."

"Well, I haven't gave a definite answer yet."

Suddenly, Jax's phone went off with a text message. Once he opened it, he saw that it was from Ava, and read it. _"I need you."_ he quickly snapped it shut before putting it back into his pocket. "Look, I gotta go."

"Can you stay? The boys are gone… it's just us."

"I can't. I have to go check something out at the warehouse."

"Oh, okay." Tara knew he was lying, but nodded anyway. "Can you think about what I said?"

"Yeah, I'll think about it." he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye, Jax." she replied, then watched him walk out of the bathroom. Once she knew he left on his motorcycle, she threw the whole bottle of Jack at the door as hard as she could, screaming out of anger. She wasn't about to give up Jax Teller without a fight, no matter who it was. She needed to come up with a plan and fast.

...

After Jax pulled up to Gloria's house, he noticed that the door was slightly open, so he quietly walked in. "Ava?" he whispered, shutting the door and locking it, then he felt arms wrap around his legs, and looked down, with his eyebrow raised. "Hey, Lily, why are you awake?"

"I had a bad dream."

"You did?" he picked her up. "You sent me that text from Mommy's phone?"

"Yeah." she nodded in the crook of his neck. "I'm scared… can you stay here with me?"

Jax noticed that the couch was made up with pillows, blankets, and her two stuffed animals. "Of course I'll stay." he put her down on the couch, then took off his cut, empitied out his pockets, and took off his shoes before laying down next to her. "So, what was your dream about?"

"It's too scary, Daddy." Lily said, resting her head on his chest, then there was a long pause before she spoke. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Staying with me when I'm scared." she yawned.

"Just call or text me… and I'll try my best to be here or there for you." he gave her a kiss on the side of her head. "Okay?"

"Okay, good night, Daddy."

"Good night, Baby." Jax wrapped his arms protectively around Lily's tiny frame and closed his eyes. He loved his little girl and he would protect her with his life and his last breath, just like he does with Abel and Thomas.

...

"Hey, Beeotch… wake up." is what Ava woke up to the next morning.

"What, Tiny?" she groaned outloud. "What time is it?" she reached over and felt nothing, then lifted her head a little, looking around. "Where's Lily?"

"She's fine… come on and bring your ass."

"Alright, alright." Ava rolled out of the bed and followed Tiny into the living room.

When they came to a stop, Tiny pointed to the couch. "Look."

Ava saw Lily sleeping so peacefully in Jax's arms, she smiled. "When did he get here?"

Tiny shrugged. "I don't know. I thought you told me that he couldn't come over last night… something about him being out with Ope and Chibs."

"Yeah." Ava nodded. "That's what he told me… they look so cute."

"Yeah, adorable." Tiny agreed. "Well, I'm gonna take a shower." then she walked down the hallway.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Gloria asked, with a yawn.

"Take a look." Ava pointed to the couch.

Gloria raised her eyebrow. "When did he get here?"

Ava shrugged. "He told me he couldn't come over last night, but there he is."

"Well." Gloria nudged Ava's arm. "I'll go make some coffee." then she went into the kitchen.

Ava sat down on the coffee table in front of Jax and Lily and watched them sleep for a moment before she tapped his arm. "Jax." she whispered. "Jackson… wake up." suddenly, he blinked his eyes open and rubbed his face with his free hand, then she chuckled. "Good morning, Sunshine."

"Oh, hey." he yawned and pulled the blanket to cover Lily's shoulders. "What time is it?"

"Almost eight-fifteen-ish… when did you get here?"

"After midnight." he yawned again. "I got a text from your phone that said 'I need you' and when I got here, Lily was awake waiting for me."

"What?" Ava raised her eyebrow. "She sent you a text?"

"Yeah, she had a bad dream and needed her daddy."

"Wow." Ava chuckled. "It's barely been a week since you two met and she already has you wrapped around her little finger."

"Yeah, but I'm not the only one."

"Oh, yeah." she chuckled. "Happy too… always getting her Hot Wheels and ice cream." she noticed the way that Jax was staring at her. "What?"

"I'm really glad that both of you are here."

"Me too." Ava nodded.

"So… does that mean you'll stay in Charming?"

"Ha-ha, nice try." she stood up. "I still have a week to make a decision." Jax made a pouty face, sticking out his bottom lip, making her laugh. "Now I see where Lily gets that from… you want some coffee?"

"Yeah." he grabbed her hand, pulling her down to him for a kiss, then closed his eyes as she went into the kitchen.

"So?" Gloria nodded her head towards the living room.

"Well." Ava started, grabbing two coffee cups out of the dishwasher. "Lily had a bad dream and needed her Daddy… she sent him a text and he came right over."

"Aww… that was nice of him."

"Yeah." Ava nodded, then poured coffee into the cups.

"Hey, do you think Tara knows about Lily?" Gloria kind-of whispered.

"Don't know." she shrugged. "And I honestly don't care if she does or doesn't… it's none of her damn business."

"How do you figure? Her and Jax are still together."

"Not for long."

Gloria raised her eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Well." Ava leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "It's just… Jax told me that him and Tara are drifting apart, even before I came back into the picture."

Gloria studied Ava's face for a moment. "You still love him, don't you? And tell me the truth."

"Mom." Ava sighed in defeat. "Seeing him and Lily together, melts my heart and all of those feelings I felt for him long ago, keeps bubbling to the surface and I can't help it."

"Regardless what everyone says - specifically Gemma - you and Jax belong together."

"He asked me to stay in Charming."

"Are you?"

Ava shrugged. "I have another week to decide."

"And where exactly would you go? Back to Sedona? What if Mason is there waiting for you?"

"I… I don't know, Mom."

"Ava , you know that if you stay home - where you belong - that Jax will go above and beyond to protect and keep you and Lily safe."

"Yeah, I know he will."

"She's right… you should stay."

Ava and Gloria looked over and saw Jax leaning in the door frame. "Jax…" she breathed out, with her eyes widened a little. "Um, how much of that did you hear?"

"Almost all of it." he smirked.

Gloria got up from the table and chuckled, grabbing her cup of coffee. "I'll leave you two love birds alone."

"Gee, thanks, Mom." Ava groaned, watching her walk out of the kitchen, then she turned her attention to Jax and picked up one of the cups she poured. "Coffee?"

Jax shook his head. "No."

"Well, what do you want?"

"What I want…" he went up to her and rested both of hands on the counter, trapping Ava between his arms. "… is an answer. Will you stay here in Charming with me?"

"Okay, wait… before I give a definite answer, I need to know that it's just you and me. No Tara. No Gemma and no outside interference splitting us apart this time." she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked right into his eyes. "You want me to stay, then that's what needs to happen."

Jax nodded. "I promise, Babe." then he leaned in and kissed her.

"Eww, gross." both of them heard, followed by a chuckle. "Get a room… I haven't even had my coffee yet."

"That's funny, Natasha."

"Hey." Tiny pointed her finger at her best friend, trying not to laugh. "You watch your mouth."

"Oh, you know I love you, Beeotch." Ava laughed as she moved away from Jax and went into the living room.

'Hey, Jax?" Tiny said before he followed behind Ava and turned around facing her, waiting for her to continue. "Ava's my best friend - basically my family… well, actually my only family - and I get that you're the love of her life; you always have been, but if you hurt her, you'll have to answer to me. She's been through enough bullshit and she doesn't need anymore pain. Lily doesn't need it either, but she's little and won't really understand." Tiny paused to take a breath. "Just… please don't hurt them, Jax."

"I won't." he shook his head. "I have no intentions of hurting either of them. I just got Ava back into my life with a daughter I never knew existed. I'm not about to fuck that up, so there's no need to worry."

"That's good to know." Tiny poured her own cup of coffee. "I think everything will be okay.."

"It will." Jax nodded.

"Daddy?!"

"Yeah?" he walked out of the kitchen, then into the living room and saw Lily with different clothes on. "Hey, you're awake and already dressed."

"Mommy told me to."

Jax sat down on the couch next to her. "Where is your mommy?"

"In the shower." Lily jumped in his lap and rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Thank you for staying with me."

"You're welcome." he kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy." she smiled up at him. "So much."

"Hey, Lil…" Tiny called out. "Come and eat, then we'll go to the park for a while."

"Yay!" she cheered, jumping out of Jax's lap, and skipped into the kitchen.

Jax got up and followed. "Tiny, only you two going to the park?"

"Yeah." she nodded. "Just for a little while."

"Okay." he pulled out his phone. "I'll have someone go with you."

"Roger that." Tiny gave him a slight smile.

"Have fun and see you later."

"Bye, Daddy." Lily waved.

Jax smiled at her and headed to Ava's room. After he sent the text and got a response back, he quietly went into her room, he still heard the water running. He quietly walked in and shut the door, before leaning against the sink - with his arms crossed and waited.

A few minutes later, Ava finished and shut off the water, then was startled right after she pulled the curtain back. "Shit, Jax?! What are you doing in here?" she noticed that his eyes were glued on her dripping wet body. "Can you hand me a towel?"

"Nope." he shook his head, licking his lips.

"Come on, Jax." she chuckled a little. "I'm getting cold in here."

"Oh, yeah?" he smirked, slowly walking up to her. "I can warm you up."

"I bet you could." she chuckled. "But I really don't want our daughter to come in here while we're in here."

Jax reached over and locked the door. "Done… besides." he started removing his clothes and shoes. "Tiny is fixing her something to eat, then." he got into the shower with her, putting one of his hands on her hips. "She's taking Lily to the park, so." he reached over to turn the water back on. "… we'll have nobody to bother us."

"Jax…" she breathed out as he was kissing her shoulder and collar bone, then she backed up a little. "My mom is here."

"So." he shrugged and quickly dove into her neck, nibbling on it, and after that, he moved to her lips. Ava gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

...

"Come on, Lil… put your shoes on, so we can go!" Tiny called out.

"Okay." a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Lily had just finished and stood up. "I got it!" once she opened it, she had a huge smile on her face. "Uncle Happy!" she hugged his leg.

"Hey, Kid." he reached down and patted her back, then after Lily let go, he went up to Tiny. "Where's Ava?"

Tiny glanced at Lily. "Go and finish your cup of milk before we go."

"Okay." she nodded, skipping into the kitchen. "Don't leave without me."

"Where's Ava?" Tiny repeated his question, turning towards him. "Well, Jax is here, so she's probably getting knocked up as we speak."

Happy stared at her for a moment. "Alright, I'll talk to her later."

"Okay, I'm done, Aunt Tiny." Lily grabbed Happy's hand and looked up at him. "Can we go on your bike?"

Happy chuckled. "There won't be any room for Tiny."

Lily shrugged. "She knows how to drive a car."

Before Happy could respond, Tiny spoke, slightly shaking her head. "No, Lily. No bike rides until you ask your mom or dad, okay?"

"Okay." Lily sighed. "Let's go have fun at the park."

"I'll drive." Happy said, after the three of them walked out of the house, then they got into the Tahoe and he drove off.

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, I know that I've abandoned some of my stories. My apologies. I'll try to start them back up again, but these story ideas I have for The Hobbit will not leave my mind. I can't help it, I LOVE that movie… actually, a certain sexy dwarf has plagued my thoughts. LOL. Honestly, I wasn't too happy about the ending. I seriously cried, like, a baby in the movie theater, because not having read the Hobbit book, at all, I was shocked and devestated. Anyways, back to what I was saying… once I, at least, have it written down, I'll work on other things. Don't worry my peeps. Hope you enjoyed this super long chapter and don't forget to R&R. Thanks a bunch.


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